Means for attaching printing-plates to cylinders



C. E. DRA'NGE. MEANS FOR ATTACHINGYPRINTINGI' PLATES T0 CYLINDERS.

a APPLICATION- FILED JAN. 20, 1916. 1,37 3,656.

8 vwmdoz @513 lttow Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

c. E. DRANGE. MEANS FOR' ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES T0 CYLINDERS- APPLICATION FILED JAN-20, I9l6 Patented Apr. 51921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. E. DRANGE.

APPLICATION HLED JAN.20 1916.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 5 WOW H307, 7

- MEANS FOR ATTACHING PRINTING PLATES T0 CYLINDERS.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL EBERHARD DRANGE, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ISABELLA SCOTT AND DAVID J. SCOTT, EXEGUTORS OF THE ESTATE CEASED.

OF WALTER SCOTT, DE-

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

, Application filed. January 20, 1916. Serial No. 73,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL E. DRANGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Means for Attaching Printing-Plates to Cylinders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to printing machines of the type in which flexible printing members are used, such as offset lithographic presses, and is a development of the device disclosed in the copending application Serial No. 64,956, filed Dec. 4., 1915.

Flexible printing members, such as the flexible metallic plates used in offset printing, are now for the first time being employed in connection with the large machines used in the production of newspapers and, as a consequence, the number of printing members which are mounted both circumferentially of and lengthwise of the axis of a cylinder has been increased. An object of this invention is to so arrange the printing members that themargins between the members are very narrow, and to provide means whereby the members may be adjusted or removed independently of one another.

The invention consists principally in the provision of means for individually straining a plurality of flexible printing members mounted on a cylinder lengthwise of the axis thereof fromone or both ends of the cylinder.

Other features of construction will appear as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate corre sponding parts: I

Figure 1 illustrates a view in elevation of one end of a cylinder with the printing plates clamped in position for operation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing in detail the means for clamping or securing the plates in position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a cylinder' ing a plate to a cylinder the reinforcing de-v vice is dropped into a slot, or groove, 7, running the length of a section covered by a plate. When in position in the slot the longer member 5 of the clamping members extends into an enlarged opening or pocket 8 with which the slot communicates. In these pockets are mounted mechanisms for engaging the clamping members 5 and rocking them on the edges 9 of the cylinder so as topull or strain the plate engaged thereby.

It is to be noted that the end of the shorter clamping members 4 so engages the fulcrum edge as to cause the member to wedge or grip more tightly against the end of the plate between the clamping members.

The means for engaging the members 5 to rock them about the fulcrums 9 take the form of the L-shaped members 10 mounted to rock on the axis 11. Springs 12 are provided normally tending to move the L- shaped members to inoperative position. One arm of each of the members 10 is arranged to engage one of the clamping members 5 while the other arm is arranged to be operated by a dog 13 on either of the shafts 1.4 or 15.

The hollow shaft 14 is equipped with a dog for operating the straining or clamping mechanism of the platesection adjacent the end of the cylinder while the shaft 15 isemployed to operate the section remote from the end of the cylinder. A stem 16, integral with the shaft 15, extends through the hollow shaft 14 and projects beyond the end of the cylinder where means, such as the arm 17 and screw 18, are provided. for turning the stem 16 and shaft 15 to operate the plate tightening devices of the second plate section from the end of the cylinder. A simi lar arm 19 and screw 20 are used to operate the hollow shaft 14 and the tightening detime acts as a retaining member to hold the hollow shaft 14 in place within the cylinderpocket- The head plate 32 serves as a bearing for the hollow shaft 14:. V

- A second bearing member 22, provided with a flange 23, supports the stem 16 just at the end of the enlarged portion of the shaft and, by means of the flange 23, supports also a reduced end 24 of the hollow shaft 14. r I

A third bearing member 25 mounted at the center of the cylinder serves to support the reduced ends 26 of the solid shafts 15. Thus it will be noted that a supporting means for the shafts which operate the plate clamping or tightening device is provided at both sides of each plate section.

As has already been pointed out the reinforcing members are attached to the flexible plates outside of the cylinder and these members are then dropped into places in the slots when the plate is applied to the cylinder. Each set of clamping, or reinforcing members, is comparatively narrow so that two sets together do not fill the slot in which they are placed. The object of this construction is to provide space for the movement of the two sets of clamping members toward each other to pull the corresponding plates in opposite directions-to clamp them into glose contact with the surface of the cylin- In placing a plate in position on the cylinder it Will be obvious that the plate ends carrying the reinforcing members must be dropped into place in the slots one at a time. In order to prevent the first end from dropping out while the second is being put into place and before the plateis clamped to the cylinder, each end of the clamping member 5 is provided with a projection, or tang, 27 and at each end of a plate section is mounted a latch member 28 adapted to project over the tang 27 and thereby prevent the clamping member 5 from falling out of the slot. The'latch members 28 are carried by supporting blocks '29 mounted in the hollowed out portions 30 of the cylinder. Springs 31 are provided normally urging the latch mem bers to operative position.

-While in the illustration provision is made for mounting two plates around the circumference' of the cylinder it' will be obvious that this number may be increased or decreased as the development of the art demands. Also while in this disclosure it is proposed to provide a-cylinder four plate sections in lengthsuch asA, B, C and D with plate adjusting means on each end of the cylinder, this is not intended to be a limitation and, itis obvious that a greater number of plates along'the axis of the cyl1ning means located at the same end of the cylinder for independentlyoperating a plurality of straining means from one end of the cylinder.

2. A printing member comprising: a cylinder, a plurality of flexible printing surfaces mounted side by side on said cylinder lengthwise of the axis thereof, means for straining said surfaces circumferentially of the cylinder and independently one of the other, and a plurality of independent actuating means at each end of the'cylinder for independently operating a plurality of straining means from each end of'the cylinder.

3. A printing machine cylinder, a plurality of flexible printing members carried on the surface of said cylinder lengthwise of the axis of said cylinder, a plurality of flexible printing members mounted on said cylinder circumferentially thereof, and means for in dividually straining-said-members from one end of said cylinder. v

4. A printing machine cylinder, a plurality of flexible printing members carried by said cylinder lengthwise of the axis thereof,

means for securing said membersto, said cylinder, and ,means for manipulating the securing means-of any one of a plurality of such plates from one end of the cylinder without disturbing the remaining ones.

5. A plate attaching device comprising a said end, and a shaft extending from a section removed from said. end through said hollow shaft to said end, said shafts being operable from said cylinder end to independently actuate said plate straining devices. i

6. A printing machine cylinder, a plurality of flexible printingmembers mounted on said cylinder lengthwise of the axis thereof,

shafts axially mounted in said cylinder and extending to one end of the cylinder, and means operated by said shafts for straining said plates, certain of said shafts being hollow and certain other of said shafts being arranged to extend through said hollow shafts, and means mounted on the end of said cylinder for operating the shafts to actuate the straining means.

7. A printing machine cylinder, a plurality of flexible printing members mounted on said cylinder lengthwise of the axis thereof, shafts axially mounted in said cylinder and extending to opposite ends of the cylinder, certain of said shafts being hollow, and certain other of said shafts being arranged to extend through said hollow shafts, printing member straining means operated by said shafts, and means mounted on the ends of said cylinder for operating the shafts to actuate the straining means. 7

8. A printing member comprising: a cylinder, a plurality of circumferentially adjustable flexible printing surfaces mounted one behind the other lengthwise of the axis of the cylinder, means for straining said surfaces circumferentially of the cylinder and independently one of the other, and a plurality of independent actuating means located at the same end of the cylinder for independently operating the straining means of said plurality of surfaces.

9. A printing member comprising: a cylinder, a plurality of circumferentially adjustable flexible printing surfaces mounted one behind the other lengthwise of the axis of the cylinder, means for straining said surfaces circumferentially of the cylinder and independently one of the other, a plurality of independent actuating means located at one end of the cylinder for independently operating the straining means of some of said surfaces, and a plurality of independent actuating means located at the other end of the cylinder for independently operating the straining means of others of said surfaces.

Signed at Plainfield in the county of Union and State of New Jersey this 18th day of January A. D. 1916.

' CARL EBERHARD DRANGE. Witnesses:

J. V. Comm,

J. W. DICKINSON. 

